To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

Have the training plans changed in the 4th edition?

I don't know. I only have the 3rd edition. If you DM me some images of the 5k/10k plan I can check. With that being said, Daniels gives you freedom to make changes to the training plans. He designs more of a system that should be altered by his "rules", then a hard fast you must follow exactly as written plan.

 

[azrivest]

I don't know. I only have the 3rd edition. If you DM me some images of the 5k/10k plan I can check. With that being said, Daniels gives you freedom to make changes to the training plans. He designs more of a system that should be altered by his "rules", then a hard fast you must follow exactly as written plan.

OK I'm asking cause the local bookstore only seems to stock the 4th edition. I'll let you know thanks

 

[DopeyBadger]

OK I'm asking cause the local bookstore only seems to stock the 4th edition. I'll let you know thanks

FYI, someone else reached out with screenshots of the 4th edition 5k/10k plan. I'll compare them when I get back home to the 3rd edition and then get back to you.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Hi! Sorry it's been pretty hectic for me lately. Anyways, not sure what you meant by "poppy" 10/31-11/6 but dropping training load to prevent injury is always the better choice. I think you're right that blending Hansons and Canova may work best for you (especially longer tempo runs). What do you think about more CV runs? Agree that the walking probably hurt more than it helped, although I'm not sure what else you could do considering the ice. It takes a lot of energy to go from walk to your race pace.

I know you don't have specific goals in mind (ie BQ), but some questions:
Have you ever thought of a pacer? Perhaps that would help with running "intuitively" vs using science by letting go and letting someone else do all the mental lifting. Perhaps you can run with a 3:15 or 3:20 pacer and if you feel good you can pull away.
Would you consider an "easier" course - ie flat or race with less weather issues?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Anyways, not sure what you meant by "poppy" 10/31-11/6 but dropping training load to prevent injury is always the better choice.

During the period of time right prior to that, the running generally felt effortless. I didn't have to put in any work to hit 7:50-8:00 pace. My body took over control and I just glided through it. When my foot would hit the ground there was a snappiness to the recoil in the foot. During the time period right after that last Canova double things weren't as snappy. I had to try harder to actually hit paces. Things were taking more effort, and my body just didn't feel as good.

I think you're right that blending Hansons and Canova may work best for you (especially longer tempo runs). What do you think about more CV runs?

Yea, while I'm not good at the Hansons long duration M Tempo runs, I feel like they're more representative of the real thing then some of the Canova M Tempo runs that are intermixed in short bursts with other paces.

I like CV runs. I did a mix of Hansons and Daniels for Dopey 2018 which included a period of CV runs.

Agree that the walking probably hurt more than it helped, although I'm not sure what else you could do considering the ice. It takes a lot of energy to go from walk to your race pace.

The ice inside the water cups through me off a little bit, but mentally I think I handled it well. I was hopeful in the moment that taking the short rest breaks would help extend my endurance in the long term. And because of the style of some of the Canova training runs I didn't see that immediate switch in strategy as immediately detrimental. But in retrospect, if the goal was a 7:10 min/mile or so, and I walked for 10 seconds in an aid station, then I should have been doing 7:20 average pace and been comfortable with it. I was probably compensating too much in the early stages of the race.

Have you ever thought of a pacer? Perhaps that would help with running "intuitively" vs using science by letting go and letting someone else do all the mental lifting. Perhaps you can run with a 3:15 or 3:20 pacer and if you feel good you can pull away.

The fastest pacer at the Madison M is 3:20. In the 2021 race, the 3:20 pacers were terrible in that they took out the pace way way too fast for anyone actually attempting a 3:20 finish. Their 15.9 mile split was at a faster pace than a legit 3:20 runner could do for 13.11 miles. So there's always risk involved when running with pacers. I do all my training solo, and then to rely on someone who I don't know to do that is a risk. That's not to say all pacers are bad, but that I've had bad experiences with pacers in multiple different racers that makes me hesitant in trusting them fully.

I think one issue with the 2022 race was that I had not set pace goal, but a window. That worked in 2021. I just ran what felt right and it carried me to a second best finish. The data said 3:07-3:21 and I ran a 3:15. So in 2022 I went in with the same mindset. No set goal, and rather a window. The data said a 3:00-3:17. Mentally I thought somewhere in the middle was reasonable. If a 3:04 happened, then great. If a 3:10 happened, then great. I did this because I don't like the pressure on race day of a singular time/pace goal. If things deviated, then I'd get in a negative headspace. The use of a goal window and GAP helped alleviate those negative thoughts. Ultimately, I thought a sub 3:05 (BQ) was a small but legitimate possibility. I felt as if I had a similar fitness level to Dopey 2018, and in Dopey 2018 I ran a 3:15 marathon after a 20:05 5k, 39:54 10k, and 1:30:35 HM. So expectation wise a 3:15 was like a bare minimum given what I had done nearly five years earlier. But it didn't work out that way. I'm doing a variety of races in the Spring just to get some more experience under my belt before entering the Summer/Fall training season. See if the 1:28 HM fitness level is still doable under good racing conditions.

Would you consider an "easier" course - ie flat or race with less weather issues?

Certainly, and I've tried that strategy before.

I did Lakefront 2017 which is semi-local (about 90 min away). It's in October so the weather is usually in the low 50s/high 40s. The course is better than Madison. But in 2022, they were denied their racing permits and cancelled the long standing race only a few weeks prior to race day.

I tried Chicago 2018 which is further away (about 2.5-3 hrs) and requires an overnight stay. It's in October so the weather is usually in the low 50s/high 40s, but can be more variable. The course was really flat, but I didn't like the pitted roads. The issue I have with the race (and any race that requires a hotel stay, food, etc.) is whether I want to take that risk if things don't go my way. We spent nearly $2000 on that trip. I went into the race weekend injured. So that was a lot of sunken cost money on a trip that ultimately I didn't even have a chance to see whether I could do well. So it's a financial risk to do a race further away when the sole goal is "A" level performance.

I tried Disney 2020 which requires a vacation and such, but the cost isn't the same as a trip to Chicago. My family views Disney differently when it comes to financial decisions. But the weather is very variable. So sometimes you get 2018 when the weather was fabulous, and sometimes you get 2019-2021 when it can be brutally hot.

I tried Non-Cancelled 2021 which was local, and a looped relatively flat course. But it's that tricky situation where you train in great winter/spring weather, and then the weather may or may not turn against you at the last moment. The looped nature doesn't bother me, but I'm hesitant to try a Spring "A" marathon because of it. My data shows very clearly that I'm at my best when the temp is 30-40F.

That's why I settled on Madison as a good choice for me. It's local, which keeps the costs down. The weather historically is 30-40F. The course is an issue though. The rolling hills, and the steep downhills do me no favors. But I have done the course well in 2019 as the HM, and I liked my performance in 2021 based on where I was at the time.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Sounds like you have a lot to chew over and some changes for your next training block. Terrible about the pacers, bad ones can cause a lot of heartache. Large marathons are definitely a lot of money and feel a lot of guilt and stress over the expenditures. I'm always impressed how everyone can do the big Disney ones - but I'm on the disboards! What about Lakefront 2023?

 

[DopeyBadger]

It would be risky to trust Lakefront after they weren’t able to secure their permits in 2022. We’ll see.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Winter 2022 - Spring 2023 Training Plan

After completing the 2022 Madison Marathon, and the 30 week Canova training plan, I've taken some down time to allow my body to heal and be ready for the next training cycle. I had to decide what I wanted for myself in this next go around. I've got the Princess Challenge (5k with G, and then 10k/HM). But after last year, and walking nearly 120 miles during the Disney trip, I decided that making the Princess Weekend the "A" race may not be the best choice. So instead, this time around Princess is a "B" race, and then I've sprinkled in several "A" races to occur in March/April. With that decision meant I needed to extend the break from Madison until training started such that I wouldn't peak too early during this next cycle. I don't usually do multiple "A" races, but this time around I am because I'd like to race a few more times before devoting myself to the next marathon training cycle.

A critical part of winter/spring training in WI is flexibility. So while I have things written down in my training plan to occur on certain days, these things will get moved around when the weather dictates it. I'd like to stay outside for the hard runs as much as possible. Additionally, I'd like to keep up the Jack/Jill hill running in the winter.

Races
2/24/23 - Princess 5k w/ G
2/25/23 - Princess 10k
2/26/23 - Princess HM
3/11/23 - Madison Shamrock 10k
3/26/23 - First Call HM (Oconomowoc, WI)
4/15/23 - Parkinson's HM (Cottage Grove, WI)
4/30/23 - Non-Cancelled HM (Oconomowoc, WI)

I may change things up, but that's the plan at the moment. In total, the training plan is 24 weeks long. The first six weeks are recovery, base building, and introduction of some max speed hill reps. The second phase of the plan lasts nine weeks. I'm going back to what has worked well for me in the past, and that's the Daniels 5k/10k style training. So lots of mile reps under 2 min, lots of VO2max reps under 5 min, and Lactate Threshold pacing up to 20 min per rep. Obviously running this fast will be tricky in the WI winter, but I'll flex things around when needed. I'll also be doing long training runs in the 2-3 hr range at the slower Canova long run pace (8:24 min/mile). The third and final phase is nine weeks long and encompasses balancing the multiple "A" races with trying to keep the sword sharpened. I'll be doing 10k pacing, progressions, and hopefully get the chance to take on THE MICHIGAN outside this time around. I'll play this phase by ear and ramp up or down workouts based on how I'm feeling, and where I feel I am in preparation for the next race. In their own right, I'm viewing the races as workouts themselves. So I don't have many HM paced workouts, but then several HMs which will be done at HM pace. I guess we'll see how it goes.

I'm shifting the Alphafly to be a hard/long training run shoe. I'm not sure it's a good racing shoe for me given it's width and hitting my ankle. So I've shifted my newest Next%2 to being my race shoe (they've got about 75-100 miles on them). For really fast flat stuff, I'll wear either the orange Next%2 (with like 500-600 miles on them) or the Endorphin Pros that are still in decent shape. The Rides will continue to be my recovery/easy run shoe.

I've taken a short break from the strength workouts (LIIFT4), but am hoping to return to those after this weekend and continue those throughout the cycle on Sat/Sun much like the latter phases of the Canova plan. I felt like keeping the strength workouts on the weekend allowed me to balance my life with running+strength well.

Lastly, I made a small change to my lunch routine. I've been doing chicken spinach salad with yogurt dressing for a few years now. But at some point earlier this year I developed an allergic reaction to the spinach. So I switched to regular lettuce, but the nutritional content isn't the same. I've also been hovering around 175-180 since returning to full time running in June 2022. So, I'm going back to my older routine of apple and yogurt instead of the salad. I've only been doing it for a little over 3 weeks now and I've already dropped 4 pounds from Madison M weight. I feel better too. So here's hoping I can strike a good balance on the weight, but maintain some good strength gains. I'd like to see myself in a strong 165-170 range come this next racing season.

So that's the plan. I'd like to see myself in the sub-40 10k and sub-90 HM area again. But I'll let the training come to me and see where things fall when it's race time.

 

[DopeyBadger]

As for an update on training, I've done the following:

Week of 11/14 - 4 miles (37 min)
Week of 11/21 - 25 miles (3.75 hrs)
Week of 11/28 - 34.4 miles (5 hrs)
Week of 12/5 - 35.4 miles (5.5 hrs)

-I did a strides run on 12/2 on flat ground and ran them in 5:15-5:44 min/mile
-I did 6 uphills on 3% paved uphill and ran them in 4:35-5:11 grade adjusted
-I did 6 uphills on 3% paved uphill and ran them in 4:39-5:21 grade adjusted
-I did 7 uphills on 3% paved uphill and ran them in 4:07-4:49 grade adjusted

Back in the summer (6/17) I was doing this same hill in 4:07-4:22 grade adjusted pace. So I'm getting closer to being back there. Which given the extra clothes and lights I have to wear in winter running, I'd say I'm in a good place. We'll really get a good idea once the real paced training starts 12/27. I do have a vaccine round coming today which may force me to miss a few days, but I'm far enough away from any races I'm not concerned.

 

[dobball23]

Winter 2022 - Spring 2023 Training Plan

After completing the 2022 Madison Marathon, and the 30 week Canova training plan, I've taken some down time to allow my body to heal and be ready for the next training cycle. I had to decide what I wanted for myself in this next go around. I've got the Princess Challenge (5k with G, and then 10k/HM). But after last year, and walking nearly 120 miles during the Disney trip, I decided that making the Princess Weekend the "A" race may not be the best choice. So instead, this time around Princess is a "B" race, and then I've sprinkled in several "A" races to occur in March/April. With that decision meant I needed to extend the break from Madison until training started such that I wouldn't peak too early during this next cycle. I don't usually do multiple "A" races, but this time around I am because I'd like to race a few more times before devoting myself to the next marathon training cycle.

A critical part of winter/spring training in WI is flexibility. So while I have things written down in my training plan to occur on certain days, these things will get moved around when the weather dictates it. I'd like to stay outside for the hard runs as much as possible. Additionally, I'd like to keep up the Jack/Jill hill running in the winter.

Races
2/24/23 - Princess 5k w/ G
2/25/23 - Princess 10k
2/26/23 - Princess HM
3/11/23 - Madison Shamrock 10k
3/26/23 - First Call HM (Oconomowoc, WI)
4/15/23 - Parkinson's HM (Cottage Grove, WI)
4/30/23 - Non-Cancelled HM (Oconomowoc, WI)

I may change things up, but that's the plan at the moment. In total, the training plan is 24 weeks long. The first six weeks are recovery, base building, and introduction of some max speed hill reps. The second phase of the plan lasts nine weeks. I'm going back to what has worked well for me in the past, and that's the Daniels 5k/10k style training. So lots of mile reps under 2 min, lots of VO2max reps under 5 min, and Lactate Threshold pacing up to 20 min per rep. Obviously running this fast will be tricky in the WI winter, but I'll flex things around when needed. I'll also be doing long training runs in the 2-3 hr range at the slower Canova long run pace (8:24 min/mile). The third and final phase is nine weeks long and encompasses balancing the multiple "A" races with trying to keep the sword sharpened. I'll be doing 10k pacing, progressions, and hopefully get the chance to take on THE MICHIGAN outside this time around. I'll play this phase by ear and ramp up or down workouts based on how I'm feeling, and where I feel I am in preparation for the next race. In their own right, I'm viewing the races as workouts themselves. So I don't have many HM paced workouts, but then several HMs which will be done at HM pace. I guess we'll see how it goes.

I'm shifting the Alphafly to be a hard/long training run shoe. I'm not sure it's a good racing shoe for me given it's width and hitting my ankle. So I've shifted my newest Next%2 to being my race shoe (they've got about 75-100 miles on them). For really fast flat stuff, I'll wear either the orange Next%2 (with like 500-600 miles on them) or the Endorphin Pros that are still in decent shape. The Rides will continue to be my recovery/easy run shoe.

I've taken a short break from the strength workouts (LIIFT4), but am hoping to return to those after this weekend and continue those throughout the cycle on Sat/Sun much like the latter phases of the Canova plan. I felt like keeping the strength workouts on the weekend allowed me to balance my life with running+strength well.

Lastly, I made a small change to my lunch routine. I've been doing chicken spinach salad with yogurt dressing for a few years now. But at some point earlier this year I developed an allergic reaction to the spinach. So I switched to regular lettuce, but the nutritional content isn't the same. I've also been hovering around 175-180 since returning to full time running in June 2022. So, I'm going back to my older routine of apple and yogurt instead of the salad. I've only been doing it for a little over 3 weeks now and I've already dropped 4 pounds from Madison M weight. I feel better too. So here's hoping I can strike a good balance on the weight, but maintain some good strength gains. I'd like to see myself in a strong 165-170 range come this next racing season.

So that's the plan. I'd like to see myself in the sub-40 10k and sub-90 HM area again. But I'll let the training come to me and see where things fall when it's race time.

Sounds like a great plan. I'll be interested to hear how you do with so many races so close together. Thanks, also, for sharing the PDF of your plan. I know you can get to sub-40 and sub-90!

 

[dis_or_dat]

Do you have an A race - Madison?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Do you have an A race - Madison?

For the Spring season, I'll let my body and the weather decide what ends up being an "A" race. I'll take advantage of the conditions when it warrants it, and pull back when it's not in my favor.

I haven't committed to a Fall 2023 race yet. I want to see how the Spring 2023 season plays out, but doing the Madison Marathon again is probably the most likely outcome.

 

[DopeyBadger]

8 Weeks to go until Princess and 17 weeks remain in Spring Season - Week 1/18



12/26/22-1/1/23
Tues (12/27): 8 x 30s @ R (GP-5:42, AP- 5:22)
Wed (12/28): 6.5 miles @ Easy (9:10 min/mile, 129 bpm)
Thurs (12/29): 2x40s @ R + 4x1mi @ T + 2x40s @ R (GP- 5:42, 6:32-6:42; AP- 5:51, 6:39)
Fri (12/30): 6.5 miles @ Easy (9:00 min/mile, 131 bpm)
Sat (12/31): 6.5 miles @ Easy (8:53 min/mile, 133 bpm)
Sun (1/1): 90 min @ Easy/LR on Treadmill (8:34 min/mile, 131 bpm)

Total Run Miles - 44.5 miles
Total Run Time - 6:27 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:00 hours
Total Training Time - 6:27 hours


Tuesday
Alright, time to get back to training and journaling! It's been a busy last month and a half since the Madison Marathon. My body recovered well from the race itself, but this week showed I've got some gains to make to get back in racing shape. And with 8 weeks to go until Princess, that's about where I expected to be right now. For the most part, I kept the running exclusively easy, did some strides here and there, and kept the mileage in the 35-45 miles (5.5-6.5 hrs) range which is about 55-70% of recent peak. I allowed my self to spend more time on the treadmill then I normally would, but honestly with races so far away at this point I took the tread over -20 to -30 running temps.

Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 16mph to 33mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 17°F + 14°F; FL - 2°F
End: Temp+Dew = 17°F + 14°F; FL - 2°F

There was some stretches of snow and ice which caused some issues with wanting to run super fast. My normal spot for doing R reps was a no go. So I found a different stretch of bike path that was relatively flat, uninterrupted, and most importantly was clear of snow/ice. The goal was to do the reps at about mile pace (5:42) or slightly faster. I was aiming for 8 reps of 30 seconds, but would end the workout when the quality diminished.





The workout went well. I was hitting the pace right for the start, and then slowly was able to ratchet it up a touch. That last rep felt blazing fast. My left upper hamstring was a little tight after the run, but doing super fast stuff at 2F can do that sometimes. All in all, I'm pleased with the effort.


Wednesday
Conditions - Overcast, Wind 13mph to 28mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 33°F; FL - 28°F
End: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 32°F; FL - 28°F

This run was mostly uneventful. Just kept the pace easy. As I was closing in on home, a dog on a broken leash crossed my path. No person to be seen, and it was dark (6-7pm), so definitely an unattended dog. I tried to approach it to help, but it seemed nervous because it didn't know me. So I just kept asking the dog to "show me home" and the dog trotted back about 4-5 houses away from the intersection to a house and went to the backyard. Didn't know the homeowners, but I rang the doorbell to confirm whether the dog was theres, and it ended up being the case. So thankfully everyone was all safe.


Thursday
Conditions - Overcast, Wind 13mph to 27mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 42°F + 42°F; FL - 34°F
End: Temp+Dew = 43°F + 43°F; FL - 34°F

Alright, this was going to be a good baseline test of fitness. I was aiming for:

2x40s @ R + 4x1mi @ T + 2x40s @ R (GP- 5:42, 6:32-6:42)

Normally this would have been a 6 x 1 mile workout, but when I wrote this I suspected my fitness wouldn't be ready for the normal starter workout. I was right.





The R reps felt tight, but doable. I maintained a good pace for the 40s reps. I came out the gate on the first T rep WAY WAY too hot (sub-6), and it took some adjusting to get me back in a good place. Wrapped that one up in 6:33 pace, which is not too shabby. But each successive rep got harder and harder. I ended up fading a touch throughout the whole workout, and when I was done with the 4th T rep I was pretty happy that I hadn't scheduled 6 reps. I did them in 6:33, 6:36, 6:40, and 6:46. So all right around the goal of 6:37 pace. The last two R reps were right, but I was able to kick on the last one a little better. I ended up averaging 6:39 pace for the T reps, which despite the fade puts me well within the area I was aiming for. Good workout overall.



Friday
Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 7mph to 12mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 30°F + 27°F; FL - 24°F
End: Temp+Dew = 30°F + 27°F; FL - 24°F

I don't remember anything about this run. Just a normal standard easy day.


Saturday
Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 3mph to 3mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 24°F + 22°F; FL - 24°F
End: Temp+Dew = 26°F + 23°F; FL - 24°F

I miscalculated how much time I needed for this one. We had a holiday virtual golf outing to get to, and I ran out of time. I was aiming for running and starting the LIIFT4 workouts back up.


Sunday
We were having Xmas at my sister's who lives about 1:45 hours away. In order to get in the planned 2 hour run, I needed to get up around 4:30am, and start running around 5:30am. When I went to bed Saturday night it had started icing, so I didn't think an outdoor early morning run was going to happen. When my alarm went off at 4:30am, I just opted to no and planned on doing it after the Xmas party when we got home and the ice would have melted. Problem is that my PA sister got called in to surgery that morning, and so our get to gather was delayed/cancelled. At least that morning we didn't know the status of everything so it was hard to plan a long duration run. I ended up getting on the treadmill and then just running around a 8:34 min/mile pace until I got word about when the Xmas party would be. Hadn't heard anything after 90 min (she said she'd tell me in 45-60 min) and so I decided to get off in the event things would change. Got a text not long after that we were meeting up mid-day and that left me about 45 min to stretch, shower, and eat breakfast. So while the goal was 120 min, and I ended early at 90 min, it ended up being the right choice given the timing. The run ended up being a little shorter than desired, but given this is the start of the training plan I remain unconcerned. I definitely want to get the LIIFT4 workouts started up again though.

All of my free time lately has been consumed with trying to get some singlets put together for Princess weekend. Steph got my a pair of olive green lululemon running shorts. Problem is, I've got nothing that matches them. So I spent hours trying to find something online that would go well with them. Never found anything. So then Steph suggested I make my own. I ended up coming up with this design:



I'm certainly no pro when it comes to Adobe Illustrator. I wanted a cherry blossom look. I found a stock image, but they wanted $80 for clothing use. So then I found a youtube tutorial video on how to make cherry blossoms in Illustrator. I used the outline of the some of the real flowers from the stock image to then create my own flowers using the tutorial. I'm pleased with how it turned out. It ended up taking me a few hours. Just about when I was finished making it, Steph was like, "What about a Maui tattoo singlet since Moana is the host for the Princess HM?" Which was a fantastic idea, except I was nearly done with this one. So after a little bit of consideration, I decided to start drawing up some Maui tattoos just to see if I liked how it would come out. I've ended up spending an obscene amount of time getting these drawn up, but if I want these to get printed and back to me before Princess, then I've got to get them done. I've done about 10-12 drawings so far, but I'm thinking these two will be the centerpieces of the front and back.


Back



Front


Again, I'm certainly no pro. But I'm pleased with the stories I'm trying to tell in the images. The sun and moon image was super difficult. I had most of the image done with everything in black outline and "no fill" background, but then I was like "oh oh wouldn't it be super cool if the moon side was a negative image of the sun side". So then I had to make "no fill" images in a black background. Which essentially meant I had to draw each of the images three times to get the negative image. So SUPER time consuming, but I love the end product. I'd estimate the sun/moon image ended up taking about 10-12 hours. I've got about 3-4 images left to make before I can start putting the tattoos together into one cohesive image.

And NOW... I may end up trying to make a light up Maui hook. LOL! This went from just dressing up for the 5k and doing normal running clothes in the 10k/HM, to getting a pair of olive green shorts, to trying to plan outfits around those shorts for the 10k and the HM.

 

[avondale]

I ended up coming up with this design:

I love pink and this design is great. You can make one for me anytime. V-neck, please?

 

[DopeyBadger]

7 Weeks to go until Princess and 16 weeks remain in Spring Season - Week 2/18




1/2/23-1/8/23
Tues (1/3): 6 sets of (30s R + 30s R + 60s R)
Wed (1/4): 6.5 miles @ Easy (9:35 min/mile, 128 bpm)
Thurs (1/5): 2x40s @ R + 4x1mi @ T + 2x40s @ R (GP- 5:42, 6:32-6:42; AP- 5:49, 6:37)
Fri (1/6): 6.5 miles @ Easy (9:23 min/mile, 127 bpm)
Sat (1/7): 6.5 miles @ Easy (8:56 min/mile, 133 bpm) + LIIFT4-Chest/Tri
Sun (1/8): 120 min @ Easy/LR on Jack/Jill (8:15 min/mile, 134 bpm) + LIIFT4-Back/Biceps & Shoulders

Total Run Miles - 49.9 miles
Total Run Time - 7:13 hours
Total Strength Time - 1:11 hours
Total Training Time - 8:24 hours


Tuesday
Conditions - Overcast, Wind 9mph to 20mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 36°F; FL - 30°F
End: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 36°F; FL - 30°F

Another R day workout. It would have been smart to look at my training plan and realize this was suppose to occur on Wednesday, but it ended up working out because the weather on Wednesday wasn't conducive to running fast. I had originally scheduled this at 4 reps, but then looking back at past times I've done a similar workout showed 5 or 6 reps. So I upped the rep count to 6 as long as the quality was still good. Aiming for around 5:42 pace or so.







Overall the workout was good. The 60s reps got me out of my comfort zone, which is good because I need to get outside my comfort zone some times.


Wednesday

Conditions - 🌨 Snow, Wind 7mph to 16mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 32°F + 30°F; FL - 25°F
End: Temp+Dew = 32°F + 30°F; FL - 25°F

Like I said, good thing the R day wasn't today. There was snow on the ground and it wouldn't have happened as planned. But doing an easy day with some snow traction was doable. The tricky part was that as the run progressed the snow stopped and then the cars flattened everything out. So by the time I was finishing things were getting slick. Doable, but not ideal.



Thursday

Conditions - 🌨 Light Snow, Wind 6mph to 14mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 33°F + 33°F; FL - 28°F
End: Temp+Dew = 33°F + 33°F; FL - 28°F

To my surprise, I had preplanned the same T pace workout as last week this week. So not only was last week's workout reduced, but so was this one. But since I saw a small fade in the workout last week, I think repeating the lesser workout again this week and proving I could do it was a good choice. The roads were slick with rain. So traction was a bit iffy. There were a few places with a small section of snow/ice, but that was only like 5-10% of the total one mile T route.





I ate oatmeal and cherries along with 3 eggs for breakfast. Been a while since I've eaten the oatmeal. I also changed shoes from my 500-600 mile pair of Next%2 to my newer Alphafly shoes that I wore for the Madison M. I didn't like the Alphafly shoes for the marathon because the back end of the outside of the shoe is a tad wide and hits my opposite side ankle during my stride. So the Alphafly has moved to my primary hard training day shoe. I feel like these two changes made a difference in how the workout felt. My legs responded much better and I felt stronger. Last week I faded from 6:33 to 6:46. I was really struggling on that 6:46 rep last week. This time around I was 6:40, 6:34, 6:33, 6:38. While I was only 2 sec/mile faster on average, it just felt better this time around. I kept reminding myself to relax my face and that also made a big difference. So all in all, I'm pleased with the workout and ready to progress to the next level.



Friday

Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 6mph to 8mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 25°F + 21°F; FL - 18°F
End: Temp+Dew = 24°F + 21°F; FL - 18°F

Decent run, nothing notable. I think my right ankle was a little tender because I was taking the turns in Thursday's run a bit too tight in the Alphas. It wasn't a long term thing though.



Saturday

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 5mph to 8mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 20°F + 15°F; FL - 13°F
End: Temp+Dew = 22°F + 16°F; FL - 13°F

No commitments, so I was able to sleep in. I've been putting in some long evening hours trying to get the art finished for the Maui tank. I finally got it to a good place Saturday evening and sent it off for approval.

I don't remember anything notable about the run. I did a LIIFT4-Chest/Tri afterwards.




Sunday
Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 5mph to 6mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 23°F + 19°F; FL - 16°F
End: Temp+Dew = 26°F + 22°F; FL - 16°F

Another no commitment day. This was suppose to be 6.5 miles. I took some time looking at whether I could make some rearrangements to get me back on track. Since the LR is so slow and easy, and the duration is only 2 hours, it didn't really concern me if I did back to back weeks with these longer LRs. So I decided I would do the 120 min run today that was suppose to happen last week. Since the recovery from the 120 min slower LR last plan went so easily, I'm not concerned.

The wind chill was in a non-shorts place, but I wasn't looking forward to wearing shorts with pockets and some leggings. The combo is usually so stiff and puts a lot of resistance on my leg movement. I ended up doing the UA tights with the Lulu warm shorts. It was fine.





I was aiming for a GAP of 8:19 (8:24 pace). I was in the right vicinity for the majority of the run. I saw that I would hit the 14 mile mark before 120 min, so I decided to do a kick finish for the remaining time. This is when the stiffness of the leggings/shorts combo really showed up. I didn't do my normal long run nutrition routine (not because I'm making changes to it, but because I didn't think it was necessary for this effort level). So I did no pre-run Maurten 320, and then during run only did two shots of concentrated Tailwind and one E-gel. I never really felt challenged and coasted to the finish.

Afterwards, I did the LIIFT4-Back/Biceps workout, and then I went straight into the LIIFT4-Shoulders workout. I'll see how doubling these two workouts goes from here until Princess.

Decent training week overall.

G got good news that she was casted as Chip for the summer play of Beauty and the Beast. Only kid in 8th grade or under to get a speaking role. Almost everyone in the play are adults. Lots of practice ahead!

 

[avondale]

Congrats, Gigi!

 

[dis_or_dat]

Congrats to Gigi and amazing drawings! Looks professional.

 

[SheHulk]

Awesome for GIgi!

 

[GollyGadget]

How exciting for G! I love Chip!!

I’m excited to see how your Maui turns out. Moana is one of my favorite Disney movies.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congrats, Gigi!

Congrats to Gigi and amazing drawings! Looks professional.

Awesome for GIgi!

How exciting for G! I love Chip!!

Thanks! She's super super super excited!

I’m excited to see how your Maui turns out. Moana is one of my favorite Disney movies.

Almost finished. Art has been approved and now we're just getting the printing company logos to fit in the design as best as we can. Hoping to have final designs done within a day or so.